


Church Boy to Satan's Minion

by Ripplebreeze



Category: Silicon Valley (TV)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, if you don't count that brief Jarlich thing, wow this is the first romantic thing I've done for SV, you get what i mean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2017-03-16
Packaged: 2018-10-05 23:52:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10320413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ripplebreeze/pseuds/Ripplebreeze
Summary: okay the title makes this sound super adult and smutty but I swear it's not lol (not that there's anything wrong with smut, you do you, reader, you do you)Jared realizes that he knew Gilfoyle back when he was known simply as Bertram. Questions and feelings arise.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Well here I am again for another fic featuring Jared. I know, surprising. Anyway I rated this T for language because Gilfoyle does not care about having a Sin Free Tongue. This is also the first kinda sorta romantic thing I'm publishing here. I've written romantic fanfics before for another fandom but I'm scared to reread them because I wrote them in middle school (yikes). Now that I've got more writing experience under my belt, I decided to take another crack at it! Hopefully it's not too cringey or anything. I hope you enjoy!

“God, what a fucking weirdo.” Dinesh shook his head at Gilfoyle and went back to staring at his screen. Jared narrowed his eyes. He’d heard that phrase before. Well, it was common enough. It still bothered him though.

The feeling lingered throughout the day. Yet, Jared couldn’t quite pin it. Where had he heard it used? No one ever gossiped with him about people so it had to be a passing comment. Maybe it had something to do with Gilfoyle?

That night, when he was sure Gilfoyle wouldn’t notice, Jared looked at him carefully. There was something about him. Something about that phrase and him.

“Stop staring at me.” Jared flinched and mumbled an apology, returning to the forms that needed revisions.

~~~

“God, what a fucking weirdo.” Donald grimaced, thinking the comment was about him. High schoolers can be cruel.

“What is up with him and that stupid church?” Donald didn’t go to church. He frowned and looked up from his Algebra calculations. Two girls were sitting in front of him, staring at the boy all the way at the front of the class. His name was Bertram. His short hair, slicked back with care, glistened in the classroom lights. His crisp white button down shirt and wrinkle-free khaki pants were worn everyday even though this school didn’t have a dress code. His black loafers tapped on the ground quietly.

Donald stared at him, albeit a little enviously. Bertram had it all. An exchange student, he came from a rich family, most of the wealth coming from the family business in televangelism. Bertram was always passing out flyers and pamphlets for the local churches, greeting each and every person with a smile. Even if they tore up the flyers and pamphlets in front of him, as they often did. He had amazing grades, he was always punctual, and all of the teachers adored him. Donald didn’t know if he wanted to be closer to him or be him.

Even then, there was something about him. As if he was relaxed and tense at the same time, somehow. Bertram seemingly-

“Donald, close your mouth, you’re drooling!” The girls had turned back towards him and were snickering. He looked at Bertram who was staring back at him, expression unreadable. Donald flushed bright red and hastily looked back down at his quadratic equations.

~~~

Jared snapped awake from his small garage cot. Bertram. Bertram Gilfoyle. How did he not remember? He’d changed so much. He sat up quickly and reached for a clean pair of pants. 

Throughout the day, Jared couldn’t stop glancing at Gilfoyle. He felt guilty, it was probably creepy but...Gilfoyle had changed so much. No short hair, no button-downs, and no khakis could be found on Gilfoyle. Instead it’s long hair, t-shirts, and jeans. No more scuff-free, lace-free shoes. He even had glasses now.

At about noon, when Dinesh and Richard were eating lunch in the dining room, he glanced again. Gilfoyle straightened his back and turned to face him. Jared looked away quickly, hoping he hadn’t noticed.

“So you figured it out.” Jared looked up, confusedly.

“Figured what out?”

“You know what I’m talking about, Dunn.” Gilfoyle narrowed his eyes. “You figured it out yesterday.”

“Well…”

“Just so you know, I don’t give a shit that you know. That’s not who I am anymore.”

“I figured.” Jared smiled. “You changed...a large amount.”

“Don’t tell anyone else. Or I’ll kill you.”

“You’ve my word. I won’t tell another soul.” Jared gave him a thumbs up. Gilfoyle shook his head and went back to typing.

~~~

“Gilfoyle?” Gilfoyle looked up from his coffee. It was early the next morning. Jared and Gilfoyle were the earliest risers of the house.

“Yeah?”

“You seemed to already know that I shared a class with you. How did...how did you know? Or when?” Jared tipped his head to the side. Gilfoyle took another long sip of coffee before answering.

“You were relatively famous at that school for being the financially poor kid who always sat alone. My work for the church coerced me into paying attention to you in particular. You know, to recruit you and shit. Take advantage of your situation to make you another brain-dead church lover. Like an asshole.”

“Oh.” Jared looked down at his cheap grocery store tea and sipped it.

“I also found you kinda hot.” Gilfoyle sipped from his coffee and Jared started choking on his tea.

“R-really?” Jared asked, coughing.

“Yep.” Gilfoyle casually shrugged. “I thought you were cute, in a weird way.”

“C-company policy-”

“Don’t give me that bull. We knew each other before we worked at the same company. It’s not like I’m asking you to date me. Not to mention we’re off the clock. Policy doesn’t apply.”

Jared’s mouth was dry.

“Anyway.” Gilfoyle finished his coffee and set the mug in the sink. “That’s enough emotional shit for the day.” He left Jared in the kitchen to feel conflicted and confused, tea cup trembling in his hands.

~~~

“Why did you change?” Gilfoyle didn’t stop typing.

“I said enough emotional shit for the day.”

~~~

The next morning, Jared and Gilfoyle were awake together again. Jared had been hesitant to go into the kitchen but Gilfoyle’s crush had been in the past. He still couldn’t believe it. Gilfoyle having a crush on Jared is such an odd thought to have.

Jared still had questions but he didn’t want to make Gilfoyle uncomfortable.

“Gilfoyle?” Gilfoyle turned his head to face Jared. “Can I ask more questions?”

“Sure.”

“Why did you change? You seemed happy doing church business. You’re the exact opposite now.”

Gilfoyle set his mug down. They were drinking tea and coffee again, as usual.

“Televangelism is fucked up. The Bible collides with a lot of who I am. Also, I was unhappy. Instead of trying to make peace with myself and figure out who I was as a person, I made my entire identity revolve around the church and Christianity. It was unhealthy.”

“So you just stopped going to church? When did you dislike Christianity?”

“College. I realized that I hated myself and had no motivation for the church. I despised it when I didn’t have to keep up an image for my parents. Once I was moved out, I got new clothes. I began to actually listen to good bands instead of shitty Christian soft rock. I got a personality for myself.”

“That’s wonderful, Gilfoyle.” Jared smiled. Gilfoyle rolled his eyes.

~~~

They got into the habit of Jared asking questions and Gilfoyle answering them over tea and coffee. By about 8 in the morning, other people were up and question time was over until the next early morning.

~~~

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Stupid question.”

Jared looked at Gilfoyle carefully.

“It’s black because it’s a technical mixture of all colors, therefore giving you no favorite.”

“Damn.”

~~~

“What is your favorite movie?”

“It’s not Julia Roberts if that’s what you’re hoping for.”

“I didn’t really expect it to be.”

“...”

“It’s Ocean’s Eleven, isn’t it.”

“I forgot that had Julia Roberts in it.”

~~~

“Why do you let me ask you these questions? You usually hate sharing information about yourself.” 

Gilfoyle shrugged. “You knew me at my worst. There is literally nothing more embarrassing than me in high school, being an ass-kisser of Christianity. Nothing I tell you now could harm my image anymore than you knowing me at that age.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Gilfoyle’s glasses fogged up from the steam of his coffee.

“This probably won’t mean much but...I thought you seemed very nice at that age.” Jared nodded thoughtfully. “I like you better now though.”

“You know me better now, so you obviously would like me more.”

“Well, yes. But that’s not the main reason.”

Gilfoyle was silent for a while. Then, he asked his first question to Jared.

“What is the main reason?”

“Even then, I found you nice. If I may be frank, I envied you in a way.” Jared smiled at Gilfoyle. “I could still tell you weren’t relaxed. You seemed to be not fully happy, even if you seemingly had nothing to be sad about. I look at you now and you’re comfortable with yourself. You’re happier, you’re more genuine.”

Gilfoyle thought about it.

“I thought you were handsome back then too,” Jared said quickly, taking a long sip of his tea. Gilfoyle’s expression was unreadable again.

“You like me better now though?” Gilfoyle asked. Jared’s stomach felt like it was doing somersaults.

“Yes, Gilfoyle. I do.” This was it. The bravest moment of Jared’s life.

Gilfoyle moved in closer and set his mug of coffee down on the table. Jared set his tea down as well.

Gilfoyle was an inch away from Jared’s face. “Does company policy apply here?”

“Frick no.” Jared closed the space between them hastily.


End file.
